Stuck Betwixt The Trials of Mortals
Lost Hollow City, High-Noon Genius. Insanity. The fine line inbetween both. Heavenly or Corrupt; also a fine line. Greed and Welfare; all have muddled lines of grey; areas which can not be distinguished until investigated further. No man or woman is innocent... and trully; there is no grey zones of neutrility. Loly and Menoly stood with Team Ningensei's campzone. They were situated in the grim place; the sun perfectly set above them; Menoly was currently under the shade of a broken building; while Loly was getting herself a tan. Today was a dull day... and all was rigged with tense dull boredom. And, thanks to Senkaku, there were some major adjustments made. They were positioned right beside a large lake, its shape serving as a pool. The water was clear and crystal. Out of ice, there was even a diving board that was supported several feet high above the water. It was meant to simulate a swimming pool - something that would keep the Arrancar cool after a long period of training. Senkaku was sitting, sword embedded in the ground, and his hands holding the top of the hilt in a lazy manner. Work like this was aggravating.... but the results were fun. He looked up to see Melina appear on the diving board. Notably, both of them, as well as the rest of the team, were sporting summer-like appearances, though still having the Espada feel to them. Interested in the stunt that Melina was about to pull, he looked on, though slightly flushed at her beach attire. She looked awfully pretty... After taking a careful step to the edge, Melina smiled and jumped off of the edge. She pulled a graceful flip that kept her flowing through the air, until she hit the water with the grace and agility of a professional. Nnoitra, who was sitting perpendicular to Senkaku and on the two Numeros's side, held up a sign that said "8.5" - a comical moment for the team. Strangely, Ggio was yet to be in sight. Loly watched on; glad there was a pool. Pulling her lawn-style chair to the side of the pool; she placed small shades over her eyes; planning to catch a few winks and obtain a decent tan. Menoly on the other hand simply plunged into the pool with a cannon-ball fashion; splashing water all around, her form wet and sparkling; hair glistening. Something out a magazine. Looking around; she smiled at Melina and the rest. "Where's Ggio?" "And Loly; get in here stop trying to get a tan... face it; your stuck as with the skin of snow white." "Cat-chan....?" Melina wondered, pondering for a minute. She allowed herself to swim... or rather, float towards the edge, resting her arms on the pool edge. "Oh! He's getting ready. He tends to take a bit of time with these things... something about wanting to look good..." Then, she caught the sudden presence of a spiritual energy, turning her head towards it. It was Ggio, hands in his pockets. He too had a change to his Espada attire to something suited for the beach. His jacket was shortened to fit his torso, opened up to reveal a rather well-toned body for someone so... average-sized. He wasn't expecting any comments towards him for it, but simply walked towards the group, not noticing a slight blush across Melina's cheeks as well as a smile. "Well, I see you've finally decided to join us, Tiger boy.." Nnoitra muttered, smirking. Loly only popped the birdie to Menoly and continued to lay down. "Just screw off..." already annoyed at Menoly; she wanted a tan, and she was going to get one. Menoly herself continued to tread water, and gazed at Ggio; he was preety handsome when he cleaned up. Sighing; she decided to swim near the edge; whispering to Melina a plan... "Hey... once he get's close enough to the edge... pull him in." '' This caused Melina to cover her hand and giggle a little. She was going to like Menoly...! Unfortunately, Ggio's intelligence didn't pick up on such things, and he allowed himself to step directly within Melina's and Menoly's trap, looking over towards the rather smug Nnoitra. "Save it, cyclops..." He stated dully, purposely so in order to tick the former ''Quinta off. "I prefer not to look like a pitiful ba--" However, his word was cut off when Melina immediately reached out and grasp his foot, making him look down. "Wha--" And Menoly helped. Grasping his other foot; she decided to tug hard; slipping his traction off; and spiraling backwards into the pull. Menoly was laughing hard as the water splashed over her. Loly only sighed as the water got on her. Groaning loudly she wasn't enjoying this tan... Nnoitra joined in with Menoly, laughing at a spluttering Ggio as he spat out water. He rose to the surface, jerking his body as a dog would shake off water. "G...GAH!! WHAT IN THE--" However, that was when he caught a laughing Menoly. "Oh...." He muttered, a tick appearing on his jaw. "Think you're funny, hm...?" Immediately, he used a Sonido and got behind her, hands grabbing both sides of her waist. Then, he raised her in the air, smirking slightly. "Let's sink...." Then, he allowed himself to fall backwards, bringing his captive with him in a dunking move. This made Senkaku turn an eye, a bit impressed at Ggio's strength. At Loly's groan, Nnoitra turned an eye towards her. "I think you're actually turnin' paler... pretty soon, you're gonna be Ulquiorra's color!" He remarked, grinning. Menoly gasped a "NOO-" before being pulled under. She expected it. Struggling; she peered to the top of the pool's water. Loly frowned, "And if you look at my breasts again; you'll need to replace that ugly smile of yours." frowning she threw a small magazine at his face; clearly annoyed but not enough to put forth an effort. "Oh... real funny, considering you got your ass kicked by me before..." Nnoitra answered, tilting his head to the side in order to dodge. "Want me to do it again? I'm quite in the mood..." However, the same magazine that he had dodged struck him in the back of the head, making him recoil and clutch it. "OWW!!!" He turned incredulously towards Melina, who was staring at him in her own stern (but rather adorable) way. "What the FUCK?!" Melina shook her head disapprovingly. "Stop picking fights with girls, Spoon-chan...." She said in criticism. "Harribel-senpai's already mad at you for saying what you said to her..." That made Nnoitra scoff, turning his attention towards Ggio and Menoly for a minute. As soon as Ggio came up to the surface, he raised his hand up and smacked it into the water, splashing a large amount of it on the back of Menoly's head. Immediately, he stood up. "All right, that's it... from now on, you're not going to have the chance to call me Spoon-chan anymore!" He declared. "I'm not wearing my Espada outfit to the Hell tournament..." "And it reminded me of the dog I was.... Aizen's fucking pet....." He didn't want to be remembered as that. Loly sighed, finally someone stood up to Jiruga. Loly added, "Hell Tourney, huh..." the thoughts crossed her mind as she began to think and ponder. Menoly on the other hand both giggled and choked. Swimming to the edge; out of breath and full of water. She pointed at Ggio; "I'll get you later for that...!" smiling, she decided to place herself on the outer edge of the pool, out of the water, laying on her back as she attempted to rest for a moment. Ggio smirked. "I look forward to it...hey, Nnoitra-sama!" This caused Nnoitra to immediately look up at him, slightly interested. "How about you and me do a little swimming match? Ten laps, one from front to back..." He tilted his head to the side, feeling a little cocky. "Y'know... unless you're afraid..." That caused Nnoitra to sneer in reply, and he briskly walked over to the edge of the pool. "You're on, little bitch! You're going to be crying once I leave you in my wake!" Accepting the challenging taunt, Ggio immediately climbed out of the water, standing beside Nnoitra. Both men readied themselves. As they did so, out of the corner of their eyes, they noticed Hermosa herself finally come out in her own swim-suit. At first, there seemed to be nothing wrong... until she got closer, trying to find where everyone was without having to rely on her spiritual energy. The top of the piece was backwards, the seams showing. The light color caused her to look a bit ridiculous. Nnoitra immediately started snickering, causing Hermosa to glare at him... or rather, in his direction. "What's so funny?" She demanded. Loly frowned, "Your clothes are on backwards... and the colors... are a bit off." deciding to stand up; she would help Hermosa find some better choice of clothes. "Let's go get you some different clothes." deciding to take Savanna's hand; she would help her out. Not like staying with the Testostrone-man, the witty-fraccion, or annyoing-Menoly was helping. Menoly on the other hand; made sure to watch; placing herself to where she was looking to the pool; her body on her stomach; knees bent to where her feet were lazily placed in the air. And her hands supporting her head; her elbows on the concrete edge. The revelation immediately caused Hermosa to flinch slightly in shock and embarrassment, the blush all too clear. She raised her free hand to cover her face, shutting her eyes tightly. "I....can't believe I just did that...." She muttered, knowing Nnoitra would never let her hear the end of it. She allowed Loly to grasp her hand, stepping alongside her. Melina herself, seeing the race about to commence, decided to raise her hand up. "Ready! 1...2...3....!" Immediately, Ggio tensed, and Nnoitra narrowed his one eye. "GO!" With that, they were off, splashing into the water and putting their strength into work. Changes of Clothes "That was so embarrassing...." Hermosa was still lamenting, even as they left the area. She had made herself look bad in front of her team leader. What in the hell was she thinking?! She could've at least asked before putting them on... this was the bad part about being blind! She could sense living entities, but she couldn't sense clothing! As Nnoitra put it... it sucked. Loly frowned, "It's alright... if their your team mates... and friends, which they should be..." "It shouldn't make a difference; plus, we all make mistakes sometimes... my life is full of 'em." smiling soon; she decided to pilfer through some of her own luggage; placed near an abandoned store; long sense torn through; but the clothes remaining, Loly had even 'stole' some to find something decent. Loly grabbed some orange and black; different from the regular black and white. A tank top, and a bikini piece to follow; but modest enough to not look like a whore. Picking them up, "I know this sounds odd; but if you feel like talking, you can talk to me." That caused Hermosa to half-lid her eyes and look away, though she couldn't really see anything. She folded her arms across her chest. "Talk to you? Like there's anything about me to be interested in... the only two things I can come up with is how I am around the ground, and my history... which I'm pretty sure is the same as yours. But... do you mind if I ask about...you?" At their first meeting, she felt her suspicion had gotten a little out of hand, though it was probably justified in the eyes of her teammates. Tossing some change of clothes to Hermosa as well to change into; they were the swim set she had just chose before. "No I don't, feel free to ask away." Poor Hermosa didn't even see it coming, the clothing tossed right in her face and startling her. Immediately, she caught them in her arms before they could fall to the ground. "Well... before you were found by Aizen..." She spoke hesitantly, nervous of poking at sensitive areas despite the other girl's carefree attitude. "How had you lived? I said that your history might've been much different from mine... but I want to make sure I'm right." "Oh..." pondering whether to tell a total stranger that... she found odd. Only Menoly knew of her past... and Aizen knew used to know bits and pieces. But now; it seemed like a good time to tell someone else. "I lived rather poorly... to tell the truth. Me and Loly were never the strongest, we fended for ourselves, constantly we were attacked, nearly killed six times." "It's hard to live the way we did; we simply made it by." "It wasn't even close to a 'picnic'." Hermosa pondered this for a moment more before speaking. "Nnoitra-senpai had always said that the Hollow before the Arrancar were built mostly on survival and might alone. To hear you speak of such things, of two of such sticking together in such circumstances, surprised me..." She tilted her head to the side. "Had you ever considered yourself, back then, to be friends?" "Friends? Yes and no." Loly questioned the answer herself. "At times we were friends; we talked, became very close. But at other times; we became paranoid; or angry, fought, and became distant. One of those things that seem to cycle, but in the end we stayed together; even if it drove us both raving mad." Smiling, she had changed into her clothes; she was wondering whether or not that Hermosa had yet. Seeing Loly's example, Hermosa immediately followed it with the assurance that it was O.K. "Well..." She began to speak. "I suppose I have to envy you. As my time evolving into what I am... I never had anything but allies, comrades-in-arms. They were never truly my friends, and we only sought to work with each other to survive. At that time... I had no idea how to find a way around my blindness, other than my five senses remaining. It was the reason I was constantly looked down on by the ones in my pack... it was a struggle as both an animal and an outcast... wasn't very pretty." A portal tore open in the sky; on top of a large concrete and steel building; a good 20 stories. A portal... a rift created between the dimensions... appearing out of it was Yohei... her sky blue pony-tail flying in the air. Her breath taken away... she glanced around. This world was so different. Checking herself twice over for any signs of malformation or injuries incase of harm had occured through the 'Sea of Reason'; there was none. Only a mental exhaustion... she had been stuck in that miserable 'endless' 'Sea' for the last few weeks... she smelled the air. So much less tainted then in Kan'na... she wondered if any life was in this dump of a city. Loly nodded, "I wouldn't envy me. I served a so called 'god' for a long time... I was more blind then you for a period of time. Still am; I suppose." Hermosa frowned. "I don't see how you still are.... no pun intended...." She muttered. "I don't see the loyalty that was to only Aizen... I see someone who's willing to take her own path, and that is something I have yet to do myself... So I can't comprehend how you would say yourself to be blind." Nodding; "True. But once blind... metaphorically; your tainted with that. Jiruga notices it... he knows how I was a loyal-dog to that so called 'king'." "But... despite everything. You aren't tainted by physical blindness. Sure, it's a tad embarrassing, and a annoying hinderance." Loly moved slightly. "But you have proven you can live with it. It's not thought of instantly; you've adapted to your situation; and gained friends through it all." Yohei glanced; her large heavy Zanpakuto strapped across her back. She took her first steps forward on the edge of the building. This place was huge; but so dead... and empty. Pity... Yohei wanted life to test herself against. Deciding to take her time. She sat down; concentrating on any spiritual signatures in the area... if any. They were as good as walking corpses. This made Hermosa smile a little, even as she put the finishing touches on herself. "Then I guess that means we both have something interesting to note about each other...." She turned on her heel towards Loly's direction. "C'mon. I believe I'm ready now." This time, she had put her outfits on correctly, learning from her mistake. "Alright, and glad to hear." Loly mentioned briefly; letting Hermosa take the lead. Yohei could sense them already... two targets across the street. So close too! Five others appeared as well; but they were several blocks down. Both of the two signatures were Arrancar; but one thing was for sure. Yohei could care less what her opponent's race was. Pulling back; she leaped off the 20 story building; letting gravity amplify her fall. Adding energy into her physical mass; her weight would be near tons when she hit the ground... and it would send shrapnel everywhere; maybe even killing her two unsuspecting female targets. Yohei was going to crash right infront of them both. It was fortunate enough that Hermosa had taken the lead. Immediately, Hermosa raised her head up, eyes narrowing. She abruptly lifted one hand and aimed it perfectly towards the descending attacker. "Cero." She uttered, unleashing the said blast. The purple beam of death raced towards the airborne Yohei. She could deduce that the power that Yohei was bringing with you could protect her from damage, but she had high doubts that the woman would be able to evade tha attack in time. Loly watched as the event took hold. Who was the figure? And it was lucky Hermosa had sensed the foe first; Loly wouldn't have. Yohei didn't even try to dodge it. Adding spiritual pressure to her body; she became her own personal Cero meteor. Rippling dark green energy tore through the air; she pummeled into Hermosa's Cero, ''driving through it with monsterous force. And then she was on the ground... Earth flew around; and her energy shot out in each direction; shattering windows and creating an impact crater around her. Yohei stood up, smiling cheerily as she did so. "Before I kill both of you; I would like to point out... I love both of yours outfits." soon cackling she waited for a response... then she would kill them while they chose whatever action to take next. For the most part, Hermosa didn't greet her with much of a response, other than a slight scowl. Possibly, she was more concerned over the fact that she would have to fight this newborn enemy... ''in a swimsuit. Why, of all times, did this stranger decide to want to kill them on a relaxing time like this? "And just who are you?" She questioned immediately, a rather cold tone in her voice as she spoke. She wasn't one to be nice to an assailant... "Oh; call me what you want. I love a good pet name..." "But I'm known to all I kill as; Yohei." Yohei herself stretched, her pressure was threatening, and her mass was still crushing the earth beneath her feet; causing cracks to form. "You know what's sad? Power levels in this dimension are sooooo low." "I thought this place would be challenge... but as I can see before me; I'm saddly mistaken." Loly grimaced, she herself felt the same way as Hermosa. Giving a slight nod; Hermosa would sense it, she was signaling to get ready. "Alternate dimension...? What the heck?" A bead of sweat fell down Hermosa's face. After catching the signal to prepare herself, she narrowed her eyes. "If we bore you that much, then why don't you find someone better to kill?" She asked dryly, flexing her fists a bit. "I'm pretty sure that in this lawless area, there's plenty to go around." "Are you kidding? Why pass up on the appetizers? Both of you are the first meal of the day; who could I just leave you two here all alone...?" her tone showing concern; so easily manipulated it sounded real.. "And alive...!" swinging her blade; it sent out a slicing Bala perparing to cut both her foes in half. Loly yelled out. "Move now!" She ducked, allowing her body to fall to the ground, smirking; she shot her own Bala to Yohei's left leg. It was a chance for a combination attack. Hermosa would have to work with Loly in order to fight against this newfound enemy. With a Sonido, she re-appeared right above Yohei with her figure upside down and in the middle of a flip. One finger was pointed towards the head, a sphere of purple reishi building up at the tip. Then, she fired it as soon as the Bala came close enough. Yohei glanced; using the anti-magnetic pulses she could use from her Zanpakuto; she simply swung her sword downward; slamming the Bala and flinging it aside as if it was a mere pebble. Afterwards; she stood completely still her movements nihl. She would take the full blast from Hermosa... they would both soon learn the unique effect of Yohei's personal Hierro skill. Loly only blinked in disbelief. What tha heck...?! The Cero connected. In the firey blaze of its energy, Hermosa could only look on grimly at it, hovering above the spot where she had blasted her. Her senses had managed to pick up the waves that had deflected Loly's Bala, slightly dumbfounded by the fact that she had done so without releasing. She also knew her Cero connected... but she felt a bad feeling crawl up her spine, like gangrene crawling up flesh. She had to be wrong! Yohei couldn't be that strong! Yohei stood there after the blast. Her shadow appearing through the smoke. Letting out a fake cough; she brushed off the dust and debris that the Cero had caused. Smirking. "Are you done yet? I hope not; I love fiesty meals." laughing. "My turn, heh!" sending out a large Bala towards Loly, she swung her Zanpakuto to slam Hermosa in the ankle and hopefully knock her down... She was that strong. Gritting her teeth, Hermosa allowed herself to go into a backward flip in order to avoid getting decapitated, as she was still upside down. Then, she allowed her nearest leg to swing forward for Yohei's head, putting all of the force she could into the kick. She hoped that Yohei's sword swing would be slower than the kick... if not, she would have to rely on her own Hierro in order to defend against the attack. It was thankfully. The swing of her foot and thanks to Yohei's movement; her Hierro was unsuspecting and was sent into a stone wall. To which she stood up from moments afterwards. "Clever little cur aren't you?" "You know, when I was an Adjuchas-class Arrancar, I was just as stupid as you are; so don't feel bad if your defeated in the next few minutes, kay?" her tone a chirp and cunning; she placed her Zanpakuto forward; soon a two 'focus rings' formed from spiritual energy. Spiritual pressure collected to Yohei's blade; a Cero she sent afterwards hit the ring... and it's size and powered double. Then tripled as it exited the third ring... the blast was large enough to take out the lower half of the building across the street by itself. Loly only watched in horror at the technique. Using Sonido, she tackled Hermosa; wincing from the physical bruises brought by it; it would save her from the technique though. Hurtling into the opposite building; she crashed through a window; shattering the glass and landing them in the floor. Her side slammed into the ground, and she hissed at the pain. Otherwise, Hermosa was fine. She propped herself up on her elbows, the energy of the blast sending chills down her spine. "At least there's some sort of chance of fighting her..." She muttered, noting the defense of her Hierro as well as her physical strength. "But I don't have my Zanpakuto with me... and I don't know when she might consider releasing..." In truth, she highly doubted such a thing would happen. The woman was probably having too much fun toying with them as it was... Yohei only cackled more. Clapping. Each step from her was as if she weighed as much as the buildings did... the building had taken the hit from her amplified Cero... and leveled the 7 story store. It fell, and dust roared around. "What fun! Come on now, stop hiding from me! I'm here to have fun!" Meanwhile... Menoly watched the two leave. Watching the race commence, she smiled. So far, it was an even fight. Both Ggio and Nnoitra were racing neck-and-neck, hands, arms, and legs slamming into the water in order to make for the body's path to victory. Both of them were gasping and panting, but their tenacity overrode their exhaustion. Senkaku, in order to get a better view, got up, moved over, and took a seat right beside Menoly. He was watching with not too much interest, and not too little, either. BUt even he couldn't tell who would win... it was just too darn close! Menoly cheered; rooting for Ggio. While Melina was sure to cheer for Jiruga. "Go Cat-boy! Move those legs of yours!" yelling out; she clapped her hand and cheered with enthusiasm. After all; no one was here to judge her; and it was for fun. And sure enough... "Go, Spoon-chan!" She shouted, raising her fist in the air. However, she soon put on a rather sad face. Immediately, Ggio started to pick up the pace thanks to his own natural speed, which made Nnoitra growl under his breath. But he kept on, determined not to lose to the former Fraccion. This made Senkaku's eyes widen in anticipation... for they were heading towards the last laps. "Oh, this is it!" He commented, clenching his fists in a show of excitement. "Hurry up Ggio; if you win I promise you a nice kiss!" her voice yelling; she wanted Ggio to win. All said in the excitement of the race. It was here that Ggio felt a little cocky. When he reached the end of the opposite side of the pool, he raised his hand, grasped it, and waited for a brief moment for Nnoitra to catch up. This made the former Espada growl as he did the same. "Waitin' for me to kick your ass?" He taunted, using the time to catch his breath. "'Course not. I was afraid I was getting too far ahead of you." Then, Ggio plunged into the waters again, with Nnoitra following suit. Once again, they were neck-and-neck, with not one of them slowing down for an instant despite their exhaustion. But... it was already decided. Only barely did Ggio step ahead of Nnoitra and slap his hand on the end of the pool before Nnoitra did, giving him the victory. With the grace of the tiger that he was, he even flipped out of the water and did a little victory pose. As a rather irritated Nnoitra got out of the water, it looked somewhat like he was bowing to the man. "Think you're hot shit, huh?!" "I am hot shit, thank you very much!" Menoly walked over; perparing to kiss him as she now owed him. But then... The explosion occured; and an entire building vanished into dust and rubble; pressure could be felt from there. Her arms wrapped around his neck; she halted, and looked to the city. "...Dear Aizen..." Ggio's eyes widened, as the pressure hit him. He turned his own eyes towards the pressure, a bead of sweat going down his face. "Holy crap...." He muttered. It wasn't just noticed by them. Senkaku, too, turned his eyes towards the blast, slowly allowing himself to stand up. Nnoitra seemed to be the only one that wasn't very surprised, as he raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. "Well, Aizen be damned...." He commented. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Hermosa and that school-girl bitch were off having fun without us." Menoly frowned, "Don't just stand there!" she vanished from their midst, towards the city with aid of Sonido. Back to Buisness. Yohei continued to glance around; "Come on out my little friends, I'm here to finish the job now; I'll even give you a choice of how you want to die." "Suffucation... Decapitation... Crushed..." "I can go on; just ask and I'll end you quickly." Determined not to fall under such words, Hermosa managed to get herself up into a crouch position, with one of her legs bent on the ground. She extended a finger, firing several, rapid-fire Bala towards the direction where Yohei was. However, they were aimed at her feet, and once they collided, they created a smoke-screen in an effort to keep the woman distracted. "We can't fight like this..." She whispered tersely, looking in Loly's direction. "We have to get out of here!" Yohei cackled as the smoke emerged from around her. "This is funny; it really is." "But you should all know one thing; once I have met a person once... hiding from me is really hard... I never forget." turning around; she blasted in random directions; rapid fire Bala destroying debris and stone walls. Loly perpared soon afterwards; grasping Hermosa, "Okay!" "Listen, when she stops firing; destory a window over there; then we'll make a run for it." The window was a few buildings down and would take percision; but if Savanna did it; they'd be able to escape. "Right...just direct me..." Grasping her arm; she lead to where Hermosa's hand would point percisely at it. "3...2..." "Get ready!" In response, Hermosa raised her finger, a sphere of reishi charged at her fingertips. She squinted her eyes automatically, holding her breath in order to steady herself. There was no hesitance in her mind... she could not and would not afford such in this time, when they have a chance of escape. "I'm ready..." Yohei stopped firing. "Now." Loly ordered, they had to escape... Yohei was too much; they didn't have their Zanpakutos; and her pressure was high on the charts... Hermosa fired. The Bala blast smashed dead-center into the window - a testament to both of their accuracy. Here we go... She thought, legs tensing up and beginning to run towards the window. If it wasn't for her Hierro, the force of her feet hitting the ground would've torn up the skin. And Yohei fell for it; she turned immediately; her vision blurred and sense of direction confused, "Stop hiding you cowards!" Loly did as well; luckily the same applied for her as it did Hermosa. Menoly was rushing forward; taking the lead of the group; they were close to the combat-zone. Ggio himself was following close behind her, as was Nnoitra (much to his annoyance). They both had their weapons in hands, sheathed and ready to be pulled out.... though Santa Teresa's sheathing was merely the hefting over the shoulder by its owner. On top of the destroyed buildings, Senkaku and Melina were Sonidoing in order to keep an aerial view. Notably, Senkaku was carrying three weapons - his, and the two's that were in trouble. Despite the threat, Melina herself was smiling, eager to meet the anticipated enemy that was pinning down her two comrades. "Bet they'll be happy once they see--" Then, her eyes drifted towards a certain part of a ruined house.... and her eyes widened in shock. She wasn't seeing it as foreign anymore. "How many times do I have to tell you, you stupid whore?!" "Please, Mommy!!! Mel-chan won't do it anymore, she didn't mea-- AAAAAGH!!!" "SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!" The crackling of a stick across skin. Countless agonizing screams. Blood. Sensing their presences; she turned towards the new group. "Oh; life on this planet is so much more bountiful; races here must spread like rabbits, eh?" Yohei turned towards each one of them. "So ask me your questions so I can finish the leftovers off." Loly bit her lip; staying silent with Hermosa... Menoly grit her teeth; perparing to question; but she wanted to find Loly first... That was when Senkaku and Melina allowed themselves to descend, the former looking on with a studying expression. The latter, however, had her eyes shadowed over, the flashes continuously racing through her mind... "You're not finishing anyone off..." Senkaku stated, raising his own sheathed blade with one hand before slinging off the sheath with one quick motion. Loly's and Hermosa's weapons lay in the other arm. "Rather, we've come over to save those "leftovers"." Ggio and Nnoitra did the same with their weapons, raising their blades towards Yohei. "There ain't a chance in Hell you can stand against all of us..." Nnoitra stated arrogantly. "So hand over the bitches and we'll let you live." "Whoa!" "All Arrancars?!" her breath was taken away; in a fake display. Clearly sarcasm. "I'm really surprised; are Shinigami the 'villians' on this planet?" "Arrancars standing up for others... it's unheard of from where I come from." Yohei was ignoring every statement given... "Oh by the way." "I'll give you each one free shot at a time if you think you can take me down." Standing still she popped her neck and stared at them all. "Come on chickie!" pointing to Menoly she goaded her. "Come to me first! GIVE ME ALL YOU GOT!" Menoly rushed foward in a blur; her rapier in her hand; she rushed foward without thinking... not a good idea. This caused Senkaku to widen his eyes. "MENOLY!!!" He shouted. Hermosa immediately flinched, fearing for the girl's safety... what in the name was she thinking, charging in like that?! The Vasto Lorde would no doubt murder her! It didn't matter whether she was unarmed or not... she felt an urge to assist her-- Then the unthinkable happened. SPLURCH! Menoly wasn't cut by the opponent, who had not moved a muscle. Instead, her shoulder had been pierced by a blade behind her, herself having been run completely through to the hilt. As blood fell down her fingers, Melina squinted her eyes and smiled. However, one could easily tell that she had snapped. "I recommend you not move an inch...." She chirped. "Otherwise, I'm going to cut you in two." Behind her, Ggio's eyes widened in shock, horror, and rage, while Nnoitra simply looked on calmly. And Yohei cheered. "YEAAHH!" she had used Sonido... teleporting directly infront of Menoly; a kick from her body and physical mass easily shoved Menoly through the blade... and even the hilt; and caused Menoly's body to crash into Melina; the whole from the hilt filled in by her recently 'snapped' ally's arm. Looking to the rest of them she smiled. "Now things get intresting!" Menoly only gasped as all this occured... the pain. The betrayal... her world grew black from the instant blood-loss and hole in her shoulder. All the while; the question kept repeating itself eeriely. Why? Loly grit her teeth; howling in anger; but staying on the ground and hidden with Hermosa. Tears fell; what had just happened?! "Aw.... you're no fun...." Melina, however, was unphased by the deepening of the inflicted wound. Without hesitation, she removed her arm as well as the blade with a sickening crack, allowing Menoly to fall to the ground. Though shaken, Senkaku immediately took the advantage of re-appearing beside the fallen body, grabbing it, and taking it back to his side. As he commenced to healing it, Melina looked on at Yohei... ...and vanished. Her speed was frightening, sudden, and quick as a cobra to a mouse. Within seconds, her blade had clashed itself with Yohei's - a clear sign that she was going to fight. "Let's play.... shall we?" She asked, opening her eyes to a half-lidded position. She was going to have lots of fun playing this game with someone as strong as this... "Play?" "I'll rip out your eyes just so you can watch me eat your heart!" Yohei twisted her blade expertly; constantly firing off Bala with each swing; even if the blade was deflected; the fired Bala would most likely hit her enemies... or cause rubble to fall and crush someone. Win-Win situation. "You know; I love playing games; but I want to show you something first!" "The situation calls for a celebration; allow me to introduce..." vanishing several feet away. her words uttered, Callar! Her new form appeared; and her pressure exerted perpared to crush her foes all at once. "Now sad little girl, the game has begun!" her new form shown; a large bone/crystal scythe was in her hands. Bone and vampiric armor all over her, her blue hair was now white and placed into a bun held by a needle. "FUCKING SCATTER!!!" Ggio screamed. Immediately, as Melina deflected the attacks, and as the other Bala she missed went towards her comrades, they immediately retreated from the area, barely avoiding chunks of concrete that threatened to crush them. Senkaku, on the other hand, re-appeared where Hermosa and Loly were hiding, afraid to look at the latter with Menoly in his arms. Gently, he sent her down, having managed to seal the wounds as he did before. Hermosa directed herself towards him and her. "W...will she be OK?" "Y...yeah.... Melina hit a non-vital point, which was barely missed by the enemy..." He could hear Melina herself call out her own release name, feeling the sudden surge of spiritual energy release itself... despite what she did, he knew why she did so. Shaking her head. "You know; just because I don't want you to use anymore tricks; let me free your mind of something important." "'Pensamiento Ladron." '''as soon as the command was given; she searched through Melina's memory; choosing to take two particular memories... those of her abilities commands. ''Etqueta... Verdugo... Removing the thoughts and memory of those commands; Melina would have no memory of these technique names. Tch. She had seen this girl's life; what a pathetic weakling... Loly bit her lip; gently and slowly placing her hand on her Menoly's head... "What happened..." "I didn't tell you before..." Senkaku sighed heavily, placing a hand on his head in irritation. "But there are just some Arrancar who are inflicted more with just physical illness. Melina herself was willing to tell me part of it, but I managed to figure out the rest. When she was in the World of the Living... when she was human.... she had been physically tortured by both of her parents throughout most of her childhood. That pain and suffering carried on through to her Hollow life, and her evolution to a Vasto Lorde. Not one of us can tell when she's either insane or not... because she seems to be aware of what she's doing..." As Hermosa peeked over the corner, she could hear Melina comment on the ability. "Hunh....?" The girl scratched her head in confusion, trying to think. "You did something... and I donno what...I'm...." She looked at herself briefly. "I'm all here...and I can think fine... whatcha do? Miss...." She trailed off, a signal for her opponent to speak her name. "Call me Muerte." smirking; her gravity was now in effect. The gravity would lower speeds to sluggish rates... crush bone structures if they got close enough to her. And her gravity could only be resisted by continually sacrificing their spiritual energy... "I'm a Vasto-Lorde." adding at the end for effort. Loly nodded, "She's a Vasto-Lorde...?" "I don't really care whether she knows what she's doing or not..." at this point. Loly was sure she was going to leave the group; both her and Menoly... she didn't want to be near a loose cannon... especcially not near a traitor. Traumatized or not... she was a constant threat. "I understand...." Senkaku mumbled. "This doesn't happen often... when one of our comrades is about to do something, she usually warns them first. If they did what Menoly had done... then she would've inflicted a wound just enough to stop them in their tracks. Had Yohei not interfered, Menoly would've been fine. When she gets like this... she doesn't discriminate to who she hurts. But she's not one to strike down our teammates unless they insist on provoking her." His eyes drifted towards Melina once more, even as she released her own spiritual energy to counter the attack. With a rotation of her blades, the girl called out "Cero!" before she swung them, a tornado-like energy blast the size of her and spherical in shame rushing at Yohei with immense speed. "Very well, Muerte-chan. It's going to be fun playing with you." Loly shook her head. "I could care less at this point; after you deal with this woman; this is the last you'll see of me." "I won't be threatened by so called 'friends' while i'm here." "Even if we've had good times... even if I just started to trust you all, it's not worth staying with a threat." growling, Loly held Menoly; pulling her away from Senkaku... clearly she was mad at this point. Things always had to screw up at the wrong times... just when Loly started to trust this group; it stabbed her in the back. Just like the Espada and Aizen. Every time... something had to happen. The only two people should would miss would be Ggio and Hermosa... Yohei smirked; using the same trick she had done on the Bala before. Using anti-energy; she swung her scythe through the Cero; slicing it in two; sending one piece directly into the ground; causing the other upper half to send into another top of a building; sending more concrete down. Senkaku immediately gasped as his patient was wrenched from his arms. However, upon seeing the cold look that Loly held, his shoulders immediately slackened, and his eyes shadowed. "I see...." He mumbled silently. A bit of sadness flashed through Hermosa's blind eyes, but she continued to stay fixed on the fight scene. As the concrete descended upon him, Senkaku closed his eyes. "Dokurotoku." A shield, the shape of a skull, came to his aid, blocking off the concrete. He allowed himself to stand, extending his arms. Upon his mental command, a pair of ice swords came to his aid, and he grasped the hilts tightly. "MELINA!" Melina didn't take her eyes off of her opponent, but smiled cheerfully. "Yes, Sen-chan?" She chirped. "....mind if I join in this game?" That took Melina by surprise, and she looked over her shoulder. "Oh, go ahead! I don't mind!" She agreed. Since Senkaku had asked so politely, she was willing to give in. However, Senkaku himself wasn't so happy. Immediately, as his request was accepted, his pupils shrank, and his teeth was shown in a feral snarl. Immediately, he rocketed off of the ground, his Sonido closing the distance between himself and Yohei within seconds. With their combined spiritual pressure, they would be able to ward off the gravity longer... but that fact was far from his mind. All he wanted was to take his self-hatred out on something... which was right in front of him. It had been his fault that he had allowed Melina to do what she did. Why had he not stopped her? So much for a good team leader. Yohei smiled. "OH boy; this is fun!" "But I'm already bored with the girl." Waving good bye; she trigged the command for Melina. "Abismo." smiling as the command was trigged; Melina's body would be pulled towards the deep pool that Sen had created; with or against her will power. "Ta-ta!" Looking to the enraged Senkaku she decided to bring her scythe down infront of him; threatening to tear him in half; or simply pierce his skull.